Around the NBA: Obsessed with Knicks' future

Read about the New York Knicks these days and it’s hard to tell if they’re playing basketball games any more.

Chris Beaven

Read about the New York Knicks these days and it’s hard to tell if they’re playing basketball games any more.

New York media and fans are obsessed with futuristic fantasy games – ones they imagine in 2010-11 where LeBron James plays for the Knicks with perhaps Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade as a sidekick. The team’s great salary dump Friday will only increase that obsession.

And having watched too many games with Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury (back when they used to play) and seen too many signings such as Jerome James (yeah, he’s still on the roster), who can blame Knicks fans for dreaming?

But enough already. It’s annoying to the rest of us.

The Knicks have been rotten, we get it. It would be great for the league if the Knicks weren’t unwatchable, we get that, too.

What looks to be an exciting NBA season, though, doesn’t need to be ignored. James is playing at an MVP level for his current team. The Celtics and Lakers look dominant again. The Blazers and Hawks are on the rise. And many other stars are playing at high levels.

The summer of 2010 will sort itself out in time. Let the rest of us enjoy this season before dreaming up the perfect New York powerhouse to unleash on the NBA.

More to come

James is sure to hear plenty of questions about the New York once he and the Cavs arrive Tuesday for a game with the Knicks. The visit comes on the heels of last week’s trip to New Jersey when the New York-area media got its first crack at James.

James appears to be tiring of the topic. A day after being deluged with the questions in New Jersey, he dealt with it again in Detroit. That prompted James to say people without anything to write about are driving the speculation because “they need a story ... and (they) keep bringing up my free agency.”

James added, “I’m happy where I’m at right now. We’ll see what happens in two years.”

Good work

Knicks president Donnie Walsh did do an impressive day’s work Friday by unloading more than $27 million worth of salary in 2010-11 by trading away Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph in separate deals. By making deals such as trading for Randolph’s bloated contract (he’s owed $17.333 in two seasons), former coach Isiah Thomas had put together quite a crew in recent seasons.

Walsh, though, was able to undo much of that future salary-cap damage. His next big move will be getting rid of the $11 million the Knicks are on the books for Curry in 2010-11.

Good first impression

Kosta Koufos continues to make a positive impression on the Jazz.

“You don’t find rookies that come in and work as hard as he does,” coach Jerry Sloan said.

And not only does Koufos work hard, he’s polite. Just like he did in high school, he uses “yes sir” and “no sir” when addressing media, coaches and even teammates. Veteran Jazz forward Jarron Collins said he was at first taken aback by Koufos’ formality.

“But it’s refreshing,” Collins said. “It speaks to him being 19 years old, but he does have a level of maturity.”

Mr. Honesty

Sloan didn’t hide his disappointment Friday in his team’s play during a 25-point loss to the Spurs. The Jazz were minus their two best players -- Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer -- as well as Collins and 3-point specialist Kyle Korver.

“That doesn’t make any difference,” Sloan told reporters. “These other guys get paid on the first and the 15th to compete, and I never saw that. ... They came out to destroy us and they did a pretty good job in doing that. We didn’t stand up to them.”

24-second clock

- One disturbing trend a month into the season is the number of stars out with sprained ankles -- Utah’s Williams (11 games missed), Milwaukee’s Michael Redd (10), Atlanta’s Josh Smith (9) and San Antonio’s Tony Parker (7). San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili, who had surgery on his left ankle in September, could return this week.

- With the Wizards off to a 1-9 start, injured All-Star guard Gilbert Arena sounds like someone close to writing off this season. “I don't want to see them struggle,” Arenas told The Associated Press, “but if this is one of those years where we don’t make the playoffs or we finish in last place ... that’s what happened to San Antonio and that’s how they got Tim Duncan and look at them now ... and that’s for the better.” After three knee surgeries since April 2007, the most recent coming two months ago, Arenas doesn’t look like he will be back until after Jan. 1.